


One Golden Glance of What Should Be

by ArizonaToToronto (BlaqkAudio)



Series: A Kind of Magic (hockey boys as Quidditch players) [1]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Hockey Player(s), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character outed without their permission, Coming Out, Established Relationship, Fluff, Harry Potter Crossover - Freeform, Hogwarts AU, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Quidditch, Sickeningly Sweet, These boys cry a lot because feelings, concussion, hockey boys as wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 19:13:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13596558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlaqkAudio/pseuds/ArizonaToToronto
Summary: Mitch and Auston both play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Auston can't keep their relationship a secret anymore after Mitch gets pretty badly injured in the middle of a game.





	One Golden Glance of What Should Be

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Please don't read this if you know anyone in this story in real life. Obviously this is entirely fiction, so don't make it weird. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay hi. This idea has consumed me from the moment I first started googling around to see if anyone else had written our boys in the Harry Potter universe. Then I realized I may have to write it myself and here we are.
> 
> Once again, so self indulgent of me. But I give you: Auston and Mitch as Gryffindor Quidditch players just being stupidly in love. 
> 
> -* There's a bit of angst in the beginning, because Mitch's dad doesn't take the news of his son's magical abilities very well. Some of his feelings could possibly be interpreted as homophobic/misogynistic so be aware of that.
> 
>  
> 
> -* Mitchy is also going to suffer a bit of a scary Quidditch injury, and Auston won't handle that well. Everything will be okay in the end!
> 
>  
> 
> -* My headcanon Gryffindor Quidditch team:
> 
> Seeker = Mitchy  
> Chaser = Auston  
> Chaser = Willy  
> Chaser = Hymie  
> Beater = Mo  
> Beater = Gards  
> Keeper = Freddyyyyyy

Auston grows up in the desert, in a tiny wizarding community nestled in Scottsdale, Arizona. He lives a strangely blended life of magic and muggle, born to a Latina witch mother and an American muggle father. It's unconventional, probably, but it means that Auston and his siblings get to have the literal best of both worlds as kids. Auston's stationary Yotes poster hangs beside the moving images of the USA Quidditch team on his bedroom wall, and it's nothing but normal to him. 

Despite her son having mixed magical blood, meaning the possibility of being born non-magical, Auston's mother always knew he would eventually show signs of magic. 

The first time it happens, it's when Auston is about 7 years old, attending a Muggle elementary school in their suburb. There's an older kid pushing one of Auston's friends from baseball around, and Auston wants to help but he doesn't know how. He remembers feeling so frustrated and helpless, remembers clenching his fists in anger, the emotions overwhelming him. Suddenly the bully had gone flying, like he'd been hit by something huge, tumbling over flat on his back on the gymnasium floor. Nobody could explain what had happened, but the bully had scrambled to his feet and fled, tripping over himself the whole way. He leaves them alone after that, so... Auston counts it as a win. 

When he tells his mother about it later that night, she hugs him proudly and promptly starts to cry.

"Oh, Papi," she tells him, "that was so very brave of you to stand up for your friend."

So. They know Auston is a wizard, and it's not long before they've given him his first broom and enrolled him in peewee Quidditch classes. It still doesn't stop her river of tears the day his owl from Hogwarts finally, finally arrives. Ema is so beyond proud, the way she always is when her only son excels at anything. He'll be her second child to attend the school, with his older sister, a Ravenclaw, a few years ahead of him. 

 

+

 

On the very same day, over 2000 miles away in a suburb of Toronto, the Marners receive a visitor. The man is strangely dressed, and decidedly unemotional in both speech and mannerisms. He delivers the news almost clinically, like he isn't dropping an absolute bomb on the family.

His words, and accompanying letter, have Mitch's mother crying, too, but not out of pride like Auston's mom. There is no love glowing in her eyes as she looks at her youngest son like she doesn't even know him. 

Mitch's father takes the news that his son is a goddamn wizard somehow even worse than his wife does. He tells the man from the so-called Ministry of Magic, in fucking _England_ of all places, to get out of his house. To never come near his family again. There is absolutely no way his kid is going to take off to Europe in September to learn how to cast spells, not at the start of his hockey team's preseason, and not ever. 

Because, as literally anyone who knows the Marners knows, Mitch is supposed to be a star in the NHL some day, has been skating almost as long as he's been able to walk. 

"It is of grave importance that you allow me to explain," the man tells Mitch's over-emotional parents. A chill settles over the room, stunning the Marners into a tense silence. "I know this is a shock for all of you, but it is absolutely vital that you understand what this means for Mitchell, for the rest of his life..."

 

+

 

After the man leaves, Mitch can hear his parents arguing late into the night. Paul is frantically shouting that Mitch isn't going, no way is he giving up on hockey after everything they've sacrificed to get him to this point.

"He has to go, Paul," Bonnie sobs, and the sound does funny things to Mitch's heart. He feels sick, his head hot and fuzzy, tears streaming down his own face. "We can't– we can't help him with fucking _magic_ , that's– he has to go." Mitch hears a loud sound, an impact that shakes the wall between their bedrooms. He flinches, hard. 

"Magic," his father sneers, like a slur. "Our kid is fucking magic, a fucking wizard, and you want us to send him away to a goddamn castle to learn to cast _spells_. Do you hear yourself right now? You wanna make our kid even more soft than he already is?"

"Paul," Bonnie chokes. "Don't– don't be like that, he's– he'll get bigger, he'll grow. He's still your son."

"How the hell am I going to explain this, Bonnie? To his coaches, his school, our family?" 

"I don't know," his mother cries, sounding desperate. "But we have to send him, Paul, you heard what he said. If he doesn't learn to– to control the m-magic, he could–." There's a vicious sound of frustration, followed by a heavy sigh. 

"I know," and Mitch's dad sounds defeated now, the fight bled completely dry. "You think I don't know that?"

 

+

 

When Auston meets Mitch for the first time, it's on a warm morning the following September, on platform 9 3/4. There's steam billowing from the idling Hogwarts Express, making the first-day-of-school chaos on the platform look even more hazy and magical, awash in a thick smoke. 

Auston hugs his father tight, kisses his teary yet delighted mother on both cheeks, and waves goodbye to his younger sister who isn't old enough to be going with him. Then he's off to join a few of his fellow teammates from his youth USA Quidditch team near the entrance of the train. He's nervous, feels the butterflies in the pit of his stomach, but the familiar faces help him settle. It's nice to have friends here.

Auston is so busy saying hello to everyone that he almost doesn't notice the lonely little boy with the fluffy brown hair off to the side, sitting on his trunk and kicking his little legs against the wood. Beside him is who Auston assumes is his mother, quiet and unamused, her mouth twisted into a frown. The sight pulls at Auston's gut a little, and he feels sort of... sad watching them. Clearly this boy _doesn't_ have friends here, and that's, well... That's not okay. 

When it's time to board the train, Auston watches the boy get a hug and a kiss from his mother, who is crying and looks absolutely miserable. It doesn't feel like the kind of warm goodbye Auston had received from his own family. The mother turns to leave, and the boy drags his trunk toward the train, all by himself. His head is down and Auston thinks he might be trying to hide the fact that he's crying. 

Auston excuses himself from his friends. He makes his way carefully over to the boy, who's now hiding his wet face in his palms. 

"Um," Auston hedges, feeling suddenly awkward and like he might be intruding on a really private moment. "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you? I'm– um, I'm Auston. Is this your first year at Hogwarts, too?" He extends a hand out to the boy, waits for him to lift his teary gaze. The boy looks rather surprised at being spoken to at all, but he shakes Auston's hand anyway. 

"Y–yes," he eventually replies, once he's rubbed his nose off against his sleeve and dried his cheeks. "My name is Mitch. I'm– I don't really know what–" 

"Mitch," Auston repeats with a smile. "Did you wanna... like, sit with me and my friends on the train?"

"Really?" Mitch asks, maybe just a little awed. 

"Yeah!" Auston smiles wider. "We all play Quidditch together, back home. There's Chucky, and that's Eichs and Werenski, and Fish in the back. They're all really cool, I promise."

"Okay," Mitch agrees with a shaky little laugh, like maybe Austons excitement is infectious. He lets Auston take his hand and lead him over to the group, and then onto the train. "Um. What's– what's Quidditch?"

"Oh!" Auston exclaims, not at all aware of how his own eyes light right up. "You're muggle-born aren't you? Okay listen up, Mitch, because this is gonna be awesome." 

There are few things Auston loves talking about more than Quidditch.

 

+

 

Mitch gets sorted into Gryffindor. Auston tries asking the hat to please put him in Gryffindor, too. He can't contain his excited shout when it somehow actually works. 

 

+

 

Mitch and Auston are pretty much inseparable after that. They share a room in the dormitory with two other really awesome guys, Brownie and Kappy. All of their classes are automatically the same for the first few years, and when they're finally able to choose electives, they pick them together side-by-side. It becomes known basically instantly that any empty seat next to Auston is already spoken for, that there is no one without the other. They're a package deal in every way, and after a while nobody even thinks to question it. It's just how Mitch and Auston are. 

It only gets better when they both make the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

It's an understatement to say that Quidditch quickly becomes their everything. Especially for Mitch, who takes to it like a lifeline, this renewed sense of purpose. And he's real good at it, too. Sometimes he whispers over to Auston's bed at night that he just... wishes his dad would come see a game. Maybe then he'd be proud of Mitch again, instead of just being disappointed. 

As far as Auston is concerned, Mitch's family sucks. He doesn't ever tell Mitch this, because it's hard enough as it is. But he really can't fathom not being so fucking proud of this boy, who's got so many friends, great grades in his classes, and is their incredible Seeker on top of all of it. He absolutely thrives at Hogwarts and they don't even care to see. 

Mitch doesn't really go home anymore, except for the summer. Not since he'd come out to his family one Christmas break and it had gone exactly as he'd expected, which was abysmal. 

Auston brings Mitch back a little potted cactus from Arizona once, after Mitch spends a break at school by himself. Mitch names the little plant Barnaby and it lives on the windowsill between their beds next to the little replica of the CN Tower Mitch gives Auston in return. 

It just makes sense when they eventually catch up with the feelings that have been building since neither really knows when, and then finally act on them. Neither boy is out to the school at large yet, so they kind of... decide to keep things low-key, just until the Quidditch season is over. 

 

It goes great at first, and nobody bats an eye. As far as everyone is concerned, they're just being Auston-and-Mitch, like they always have been. 

But of course these things never go according to plan. 

 

+

 

It's the last game of the season, Gryffindor against McDavid and the Ravenclaws. Gryffindor is so far undefeated, riding high on the best season the house has seen in over a decade, the clear leader for the Cup race. But they can't get ahead of themselves, because losing today could still mean losing it all if Ravenclaw were to walk away with enough points. 

The stands are absolutely packed and the weather is perfect. Auston starts in on his pre-game routine with a methodical focus. As soon as he's fully warmed up, he settles back on his broom and just floats, just watches Mitch finish stretching, and then take off into the air to ride a few laps around the pitch. 

Mitch is beautiful in scarlet and gold, his cheeks pink from the exhilaration of flying. The way he looks in this moment, just glowing and breathless, has Auston's mind drifting to other times he's seen Mitch just as flushed, so sweet, all tangled in scarlet and gold sheets... Auston shifts on his broom, feels himself go warm.

Focus, he tells himself. Focus, win the game, win the Cup, and _then_ victory sex. He gives himself a little shake and takes another lap. 

 

+

 

Early in the game, Auston opens the scoring. 

He executes a pretty damn perfect Finbourgh Flick, tossing the quaffle into the air and using his momentum to spin himself in a full circle. The end of his broomstick makes a satisfying _crack_ as it makes contact with the quaffle, sending it careening past the Ravenclaw keeper and into the goal hoop. Auston hears the crowd below explode into excited cheers as he pumps his first in a humble little celly, and accepts hugs and helmet taps from Hymie and Willy. 

"LET'S FUCKING GO!" 

 

+

 

They've been playing for a while, Gryffindor comfortably up a handful of goals, before Auston takes a moment to orient himself and check on Mitch. Ravenclaw has been putting up a pretty excellent fight, and Auston is ready for Mitch to end the game as soon as he's able to. Catching the snitch would guarantee Gryffindor enough points to take the Cup. 

Across the pitch, Mitch's clever eyes are definitely tracking something, his body slowly tensing like a cat ready to pounce. Auston follows his gaze and sees the snitch hovering several feet below. He feels a nervous little swell of pride as Mitch tries to get into position to dive, without tipping off the Ravenclaw seeker just yet. Mitch is incredibly fast on a broom, but he's not looking to provoke a race if he doesn't have to. Auston constantly finds himself in awe of Mitch's Quidditch sense. 

Unfortunately, Mitch's intentions don't stay secret for long. One of the Ravenclaw beaters spots the snitch as well, and hollers at his own seeker. Mitch takes hold of his broom and tips forward, hard, prepared now for that race. 

The events that unfold next happen so terrifyingly quickly that Auston can barely process what he's seeing. One minute, Mitch has the clear advantage. He's absolutely barreling toward the snitch, outflying the other seeker with ease. The next minute, a deliberately aimed bludger crashes into the back of Mitch's head with a sickening sound and Mitch just... crumples, losing control of his broom completely. 

Auston hears someone screaming, can't even recognize the horrified sounds as his own, as he watches Mitch grab for his head, tilting dangerously forward and then off his broom. It happens in slow motion, Auston enduring the most terrifying thing he's ever seen in vivid, nauseating detail. He's stupidly sure the impact of Mitch's body against the pitch below has killed him (deep down he knows that Madam Hooch would never let that happen. Someone has certainly magically cushioned Mitch's fall).

Auston doesn't remember landing. He doesn't remember flinging his broom aside, or running full speed toward Mitch's body, laying in a heap on the grass. He's the first person to reach Mitch, his body moving on autopilot. He drops to his knees next to him and just reaches out helplessly, unaware of how long he's been crying. The only thing he is aware of is Mitch opening his beautiful blue eyes and taking one shaky breath, and then another. Auston grabs blindly for the little cross around his own neck. "Thank you thank you thank you."

"M-Matty," Mitch gasps, trying to get Auston's attention. When he holds up his fist for Auston to inspect, tiny silver wings beat against his palm, against a glimmer of gold. Auston feels the sob before he hears himself choke on it. 

"Mitchy, I don't even care about that, fuck, are you–"

Mitch's eyes start to roll to the back of his head, eyelashes fluttering. His breathing stutters harshly. 

"No, Mitchy," Auston gasps out, grabbing Mitch's face in both of his hands. "You need to stay awake, don't– you might be concussed, honey, you need to look at me." Mitch struggles to focus, staring into Auston's eyes with a sickeningly glazed look. 

"Somebody get a healer!" Auston shouts, looking around for the first time and taking in the huge crowd surrounding them. He can't keep the panic out of his voice, sounding terrified even to his own ears. 

"They're on their way, Auston, it's going to be okay," Freddy tells him solemnly. He squeezes Auston's shoulder, watches him with careful, calculating eyes. Auston averts his gaze and focuses on keeping Mitch awake until the healer does arrive, only moments later, but what feels like an eternity to Auston. 

"Thank you, Mr. Matthews," the healer says. "I can take over from here." She edges in next to Mitch, begins shining the lit-up tip of her wand into Mitch's heavy-lidded eyes, one and then the other. Auston hovers close, fretting, as Mitch gets manoeuvered onto a stretcher. 

The Head of Gryffindor House steps into the middle of the circle and advises the students to return to their dormitories, and the crowd reluctantly begins to disperse. Auston, however, doesn't budge. 

"Okay, move along now, Mr. Matthews. Mr. Marner needs to get to the Hospital Wing. You'll be able to see him as soon as he's stable and awake." Auston feels Freddy's hand on his elbow, gently encouraging him to step back from Mitch. He tears his arm out of Freddy's grip. 

"You don't fucking understand," he snarls, eyes wild. "That's my– he's– I have to go with him."

"Aus, I know," Freddy's voice is gentle as he tugs at Auston's arm again. "Look, man, we're all scared, yeah? It's Mitchy, you know how much we all love him. But we have to let then healers do their job."

"He's my fucking boyfriend, dude! This isn't just–" and yeah, Auston's just outed them both to the team, the healers, and all of the curious onlookers still gathered around Mitch. He really, really doesn't care. They need to understand, Auston can't fathom them not understanding. He cannot bear to be taken from Mitch's side. 

A hush falls over the crowd. Auston doesn't meet anyone's eyes, but he remains where he is, standing his ground. "I need to go with him," he chokes again, voice breaking. "I won't– I won't get in the way, I just need– _please_..."

In the end, they let him go. 

 

+

 

Auston sits next to Mitch's bed the entire time the healers tend to him. Once they've done all they can, they leave Auston with a vial of liquid, for the pain when Mitch eventually comes to. 

"He's going to be okay, Mr. Matthews," Madam Pomfrey says. "I've healed far worse Quidditch injuries than these." She pats Auston's hand and turns to leave, pulling the curtain around Mitch's bed fully closed to offer them privacy. 

It's hours later, after the adrenaline has bled out of Auston, that he finally takes the time to think, hey, Mitch actually caught the fucking snitch. Gryffindor won. He's too relieved, too exhausted by this day, to truly appreciate what that means. 

And that's fine, actually, because moments later Mitch makes a pained little sound and shifts in the bed, slowly drifting back to the world of the awake. Auston wants to be the first thing he sees when he opens those eyes he loves so much. He sits up, holds Mitch's hand tighter as he leans in close, gets his wish right away. 

It takes Mitch a little while to figure out where he is. Auston can see the gears turning, the confusion evident on his face.

"Aus? Where– what happened? Why are we–?" 

"You fell, Mitchy. During the game. Do– do you remember getting hit by that bludger?" Mitch squeezes Auston's hand hard, screws up his face in concentration. "I think... Yeah," he eventually says. "I remember. When I was going for the snitch." Suddenly his face falls. 

"Aus, we lost didn't we?" Auston can't help his shout of a laugh, even though absolutely nothing is funny. 

"No, Marns. You caught it. It's the first thing you showed me after you– when I–" and there's the tears again, anguish clotting in Auston's throat. He makes a sound like a wounded animal and buries his face in his own shoulder.

"Auston?!" Mitch asks, alarmed. He struggles to sit up against his pillows before Auston grabs him to keep him still.

"I was so scared, baby," he manages, through the tears. "You fell so far, and I couldn't get it out of my head. It's all I could see, just over and over. I can't–"

"Matty," Mitch chokes. "M'okay, look, I'm fine."

"After you fell, there was a m–moment where I thought–" Mitch grabs for Auston's hands, a look of devastated understanding dawning on his face.

"No," Mitch tells him, his voice hard, and then he's crying too. "No. I'm here. I'm here, Auston. I would never, never do that to you." And it's ridiculous, because that's not something Mitch can promise, but the words soothe Auston anyway. 

"You need to drink this," Auston says, his voice still thick. He passes Mitch the vial of medicine, wipes Mitch's tears with his own sleeve. "And sleep some more. I won't– I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you wake up. Then... We, uh. We should talk about how I kind of outed us to, well, everyone." 

Mitch blinks up at Auston, speechless. 

"Look, I'm sorry, Mitchy," Auston says in a rush. Once the words start, they just keep coming. "I didn't mean to, I swear. They just– they were trying to take you away, and they wouldn't let me go with you. I had to make them understand. I needed to be here, how could I not be here? Couldn't leave you to wake up alone and scared."

"Auston," Mitch says in a shaky voice that cracks around the edges. He looks overwhelmed. "I don't care who knows. M'so glad you're here, I don't care about anyone else."

"I love you. I'm sorry I can't stop crying."

"I love you, too, Matty. It's okay, I'm gonna be okay. Love you."

Mitch says the medicine tastes awful. His pouty face as he drinks it is the cutest thing Auston's ever seen. All Auston cares about is that it works wonders on Mitch's headache, and immediately lulls him into a dreamless, painless sleep. 

 

+

 

Mitch takes a surprising amount of visitors during his stay in the Hospital Wing. First it's the team, and then Davo and Stromer, their roomies Kappy and Brownie, a few professors, and various others from all four of the school's Houses. 

Well, Mitch is surprised. Auston isn't for a minute, knows just how beloved Mitch is to basically everyone whose life he touches. 

Every single one of his visitors is so proud of Mitch, and so genuinely happy for he and Auston. Auston has never seen Mitch this elated. He's beaming at everyone, his face one giant, beautiful grin that never ends. Auston feels an indescribable warmth as he gets to see Mitch be absolutely smothered with hugs and cuddles from his adoring friends. He knows he's the proudest of them all. 

 

+

 

Mitch is allowed to leave the Hospital Wing two days later, more or less completely healed. He and Auston hold hands all the way back to the Gryffindor common room, because they _can_ now. Everyone knows how in love they are, and there is nothing to be afraid of anymore. No more need to hide. 

When they reach the common room, a wall of sound is the first thing to greet them as the portrait of the Fat Lady swings closed behind them. It takes Mitch a few seconds to recognize the noise as cheering, clapping. The room itself is completely decked out in scarlet and gold streamers, balloons, banners, confetti... In the middle of the room, the Quidditch Cup sits proudly, surrounded by all of their teammates and friends. As Auston leads a stunned Mitch closer, the Cup gets passed over and settled into Mitch's hands. 

"We figured the tournament MVP should be the first to raise it," Auston tells him. Mitch looks like he can't believe his eyes.

"Me?" He asks incredulously. His eyes scan the room, looking from face to face, trying to understand. "But Auston is the Captain!"

"Yeah, well, the team took a vote. And it's you. Unanimously." Auston tells him. "It could only be you, Mitchy." 

Mitch, at a loss for words, tucks himself away against Auston's chest. He clutches at the trophy in disbelief while Auston holds him there and doesn't let go. He knows, as Captain, that there's a speech to be made at some point, but nothing else seems important. Not while he has this. 

 

+

 

With the Quidditch season over, Auston and Mitch have a lot more time to dedicate to preparing for their final exams. 

"I'm not ready for this year to be over," Mitch admits during one of their last study sessions in the library. He looks like he's trying really hard not to be sad. And Auston has been waiting for the right moment to bring up the summer, to ask Mitch the question he's been burning to ask for weeks now. It all comes tumbling out the second he sees Mitch's barely concealed frown. 

"Come home with me, Marns," he blurts. "This... This summer, to Arizona. I've already cleared it with my parents, and they'd love to properly meet you. I mean, I know you probably have to go to Toronto at some point but I'd really just love it if– well. I want you there. With me. If you'll come." 

_Please say 'yes.'_

"Matty. Yes, you big idiot, of course I'll come home with you. How is that even a question?"

"Okay, because, like. We have WiFi and like, Chel. And my parents have regular muggle cars and stuff. And a pool! And a dog! What I'm trying to say is, we're not some wacky wizarding family, and I swear you won't be bored."

"Matts," Mitch laughs, looking exasperated but also very fond. "Yes. I'm saying yes!"

"Okay," Auston says, relieved. "We can bring Barnaby, show him where he came from."

Mitch laughs again at the mention of his little cactus, loud and unrestrained. He pulls out a blank sheaf of parchment, fiddling nervously with his quill as he plans out the letter he's going to send his mother.

Auston takes Mitch's hand and gives him his most reassuring smile as Mitch takes a deep breath and begins to write.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I love any and all comments/flailing/suggestions, so definitely go wild with that. 
> 
> I took a few liberties with the Hogwarts canon to fit the purpose of the story, i.e. Auston is still from Arizona, and Mitch is from Canada, but they both receive Hogwarts acceptance letters anyway. 
> 
> Most other things are as accurate as I could make them (true facts: muggle born kids have a representative show up with their letter, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw always play the last Quidditch game of the year, the Flinbourgh Flick is a real Quidditch move).
> 
> There will 100% be more things written in this verse. I have a list of prompts for myself (pre-slash, as well as a ton of established relationship stuff) and the skeleton for the full blown getting-together/pining/idiots in love story as well, if people would like to read any of that.
> 
>  
> 
> So YEAH IDK if I decide I'm not way too old to delve into this fandom all the way, find me @ arizonatotoronto.tumblr.com to discuss gay wizard hockey boy headcanon with me.


End file.
